


Lost Connections (Sequel to Hidden Memories)

by shsl_saltine



Series: Talent Swaps [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: After chapter two, M/M, talent swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:12:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7509727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shsl_saltine/pseuds/shsl_saltine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naegi needs to discuss with Togami why he's been avoiding him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost Connections (Sequel to Hidden Memories)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slimedragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slimedragon/gifts).



> I lied when I said I probably wouldn't continue this. I had to finish off the series and give a little closure upon the request of the original AU author's request. I hope you enjoy, because I spent 7 hours and lots of headache on this. It's much longer and isn't nearly as light hearted, be warned.

He couldn’t stop thinking about brown hair and hazel eyes, a smile that could bring anyone hope and a talent so shining it couldn’t be overlooked. How could this happen to him of all people? Feelings like adoration and endearment would only hold him back, trap him in a corner. He, Togami Byakuya, was certainly better than that!

 

However, after his encounter with Genocider Syo, it was all that ran through his mind. It was to the point that he couldn’t be in the same room as the other, not until he could figure out and finally put an end to the warmth that spread through him merely at the sight of the other.

 

How was it possible for a simple, meaningless, rushed kiss to cause such an uproar of emotion. 

 

It’d started so simply, it was just a small… Fascination for the familiar feeling he’d gotten after the kiss. But it just seemed to grow. He’d peer over his glasses at the boy while he read at breakfast, he began to listen and  _ even enjoy _ listening to his hopeful cliches. When he wasn’t careful, his mind would wander to the other and he would question how soft his fluffy, bedraggled hair was or how warm his hands would be if he’d held them.

 

This wasn’t fair to him in the slightest. He was so much better than a silly schoolgirl crush. He’d be damned if someone as common as Naegi wasted his time like that!

 

“Togami-kun?” He jolted when he heard the familiar voice. Damnit! He’d thought that if he’d explored in the physics room, he’d be left alone. “U-uhm, Togami-kun?” The voice stated again and the blond turned with a sigh.

 

He was first drawn to the novelist’s eyes, they reminded him of a crisp fall day. “What is it? We’re to be investigating, don’t you know?” Togami kept his statement curt and it caused the brunet to look at his feet.

 

“I-I know…” The boy trailed off and shifted his weight from side to side. “I just… I think we need to talk about something.”   
  


Something? What could this something be? What did he know?

 

“You’ve been… Avoiding me, lately,” He started before the detective could begin questioning him. “And I know that you’ve never really considered us friends but… Ever since that time in the library, you won’t sit in the same room as me… I want to know what happened.”

 

What happened? How could he tell Naegi that as Syo, the other had forcibly kissed him and since then made his life a living hell?

 

“Nothing. Genocider Syo said something that I could discredit as nonsense as it came from a maniac, and since then I’ve had no interest in either of you. That’s all.” Togami watched as the brunet’s shoulders slumped.

 

“You don’t have to sound so rude, you know…” He muttered, looking away to the tiles that covered the floor. “Can’t you at least tell me what Syo said to make you hate me so much?”

 

The blond sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose to quell a developing headache. Hate was such a strong word, but he could never admit he was feeling the opposite. “I don’t have time for this, I was in the middle of something.” However, the novelist took a deep breath and stared up at Togami with a resolve set in his auburn eyes.

 

“If you tell me what Syo said, I promise I’ll leave you alone for the rest of our time here.” A frown prominent on the Novelist’s face, he crossed his arms and stood his ground. Naegi wore his heart on his sleeve and anything he felt was reflected in his eyes, so it was easy for the blond to see the hurt reflected in his eyes. Damn him and any feelings he’d had for him, because now he was going to give in.

 

“You don’t… You don’t have to leave me alone for me to tell you. If you truly, truly want to know; Genocider Syo told me that you and I are in a relationship. He insisted that he knows much more about me, and that I know all about him. He was very familiar when addressing me.” Togami relented, a sigh leaving him.

 

The look of hurt was replaced by first shock then confusion, and his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to concentrate on the new information. The detective would be damned if he ever admit he found it endearing.

 

“He didn’t threaten you or harm you did he?” The brunet asked finally, cupping his chin in a stereotypical way to show he was lost in thought.

 

“If you don’t count that damnable kiss as harm, then no,” He’d muttered in response before freezing in place. Truly, it’d been a slip of the tounge. Had he not been so captivated by the brunet and his ambrosial mannerisms, he wouldn’t have said that. He would’ve ended their conversation with a no, and promptly left the boy alone.

 

However, that wasn’t the case.

 

“H-he- You’re saying he- I actually-  _ He actually kissed you?!” _ Naegi sputtered, eyes wide, rose red cheeks and hands covering his gaping mouth. “Please tell me you’re joking!” All it took was a stern sigh and a shake of his head to send the boy into apologies. His words were rushed and his face was redder than his shoes, and it was only worsening Togami’s headache.

 

“Quiet down. If you and Genocider Syo are not the same, then I don’t care to hear your apology.” And the novelist quieted down but was once again unable to meet the blue eyes of the detective. “Now that  _ that _ is over, and the whole incident has been disclosed to you, you can tell me what it means.” At least he’d have an answer. Maybe not his self respect, but an answer was better than nothing.

 

“But-But I don’t  _ know _ !” He cried and ran his thin fingers through his hair. “Syo and I don’t share the same memories! I don’t know what he was thinking!” He insisted, but something caught Togami, and he once again held up a hand to silence the boy.

 

“What did you just say?” The blond asked, keeping his voice calm as his mind worked rapidly at the new information he believed he received.

 

Naegi hesitated, moving his hands back to his sides. “I-I said that Genocider Syo and I don’t share the same memories… It’s impossible for me to know what he’s thinking… We just don’t work like that…”

 

And in a frightening way, Togami felt the pieces of this overly complex and emotionally devastating puzzle fit together. “So then, it would be possible for Genocider to remember something you’d forgotten…” The brunet stayed mute, nodding dumbly. “And what is the chance of Genocider Syo making up what he’d said?”

 

The novelist paused to think before sighing. “I… Don’t think I can be certain. But I’d say since there wasn’t a threat involved, and he didn’t cause any physical harm, he might’ve been being honest.” But he shook his head. “That wouldn’t be possible. I would remember being in a relationship with you. I mean, that seems like a big deal!”

 

“It seems unrealistic to me too, believe me. But something isn’t adding up here. And Genocider being able to remember something that we don’t is only furthering the proof.” The detective shook his head. “But that is none of your concern,” He continued, but Naegi shook his head.

 

“No, if it has something to do with why we are in here, I’m allowed to know,” He said in a suddenly firm tone that Togami had rarely heard from him. “I want to know why we are here just as much as everyone else!” And now he was demanding, and the blond found himself trying not to applaud him for finally standing up for himself. He also found himself resisting the urge to scold him for questioning his decisions.

 

“What good would it possibly do if I told you?” The detective asked and feigned a sigh of boredom.

 

“Well I can be useful in whatever it is you’re trying to figure out! Look at what I did in the other class trials! And-and maybe if we work together, we can figure out what Syo meant!” Togami stood for a moment, because Naegi had offered a sound suggestion for once. Accepting this offer meant that any feelings the blond may have would be a thorn in his side, but it would also mean closure and a helping hand.

 

Damn him for being unable to say no to Naegi Makoto.

 

“Very well. It’s just… A theory, but I believe that we weren’t simply drugged or kidnapped by the mastermind when we arrived here. Clearly, a lot happened before this whole ordeal. So, if Genocider Syo remembers something you don’t, that must mean that-”

 

“-That his memories weren’t erased, but mine were. Whoever the mastermind is, they must be unaware to the fact that we don’t share the same memories and only erased mine!” Naegi concluded, and a proud smile curled on his face before it melted into fear. “But then that confirms that… That someone stole our memories…” He said, and Togami watched as his features paled and his arms lay limp at his sides. “Do… Do you have any idea on how much they’ve stolen…?”

 

Togami, who’d had an inkling this had been the case since they had arrived, was less shaken by the added proof. It was a frightening thought that there is so much time that was unaccounted for in his life, but he was much more prepared to hear it than Naegi. “No, but if what Genocider Syo says is true about our… Past entanglement, I would assume there had been quite some time that has been taken from us.” The blond took a thoughtful pause as he ran through all the variables of their new predicament. He looked away from the terrified brunet for a moment to glance at the walls of the physics lab, and once he felt satisfied with his answer, returned his eye contact. “And you said you believe that Genocider Syo was telling the truth, so I would assume with my best guess it would be no less than six or so months taken from us.”

 

“Six… Six months. Six months we knew each other… Six months we had to become friends a-and even lovers… Six months of bonds and adventures that we won’t get back…” Naegi shook his head. “We killed each other without knowing we were friends. We stabbed each other in the back, thinking we were strangers.”

 

The look of absolute despair on the boys face worried Togami, and despite his better judgement and decision to keep himself from any emotional entanglement, he decided to lend comfort to Naegi. He’d never been good at the sort of thing, he’d never needed to be comforted and he’d never been in a position to have to offer it. So he placed a hand on his shoulder. Hopefully it could be seen as a sign of comfort and solidarity. The blond had always placed himself above others, especially Naegi, but the way his heart broke when he saw the other overcome with sorrow, he had to do something. But words wouldn’t cure the pain the boy felt, Togami was more than aware of that. So he hoped that something as simple as this could suffice, even if it meant the detective gave up more of his dwindling self respect.

 

The reaction he received was near instantaneous, as the smaller wrapped his arms around Togami tightly, causing the other to step back in shock. Did he really take that small gesture as an invitation for this much of intimate contact?! He was about to push the brunet back and demand the other respect his personal space when he saw the tremors running through his shoulders, and heard the hushed sobs from the other. Naegi had hugged him and started sobbing. Naegi was using him for comfort.

 

Togami knew he shouldn’t be as conflicted as he was. He should’ve pushed the other away and offered spoken solidarity before walking away from him. But he couldn’t bring himself to be so… So heartless. He’d never had that problem before. Yet with Naegi Makoto in his arms, he couldn’t find the will to shove him aside and leave him to help himself. He stood frozen in the moment, his entire being feeling like it’d split in half. His arms remained frozen at his sides, his feet planted firmly in their spots, and his eyes stuck on the brunet trembling beneath him. It felt like years he didn’t give a reaction, simply because his body couldn’t decide between the two. And as the boy was about to pull away, Togami’s arms loosely draped around him. He refused to meet the sudden but tearful stare of the novelist, and felt his face glow red with the intimacy of the touch, but sure enough he was tracing his gloved hand along the boy’s back. The blond couldn’t see the way a smile tugged at his lips, but he was sure it was there when his grip on the other tightened.

 

“I…” The words were hesitant as they left the brunet, and Togami felt the way his fingers tightened in the back of his jacket. At a later point, the blond would command him to have it ironed. But… For now, it didn’t seem to be doing any harm. “I’m sorry for doing this… I know you don’t really like me… And I know you didn’t want me to know, probably because you’d guessed I’d react like this… I am fairly predictable…” He took a deep breath before continuing. “But… Thank you… Thank you for telling me… And… And thank you for comforting me…” His red stained cheeks must have darkened, listening to the heartfelt words that left the boy. His brain was still in a state of shock from the hug, he hadn’t anything to respond with.

 

“I want you to know that… That even if you don’t like me, I want to keep being trying to friends with you… Since Syo has already proven we… We have more of a connection…” The words were tumbling from the others mouth, and Naegi was stumbling over every sentence but it only made it more genuine. “I know the promise I made a little bit ago.. But I can’t keep it… I don’t want to miss out on this connection anymore… I want to make up for these lost memories.”

  
The hope in his voice was inspiring, for even Togami. And, as embarrassing as he felt it was, his grip on the brunet tightened. “I can’t promise you anything more at the moment but… But I… I assume we can be friends for now… While we work together to get out of here.” There was reluctance in each statement, but for some reason, Togami had a feeling Naegi could see right through him. He was a romance novelist after all, he’d written better love stories in mere hours, surely. The thought of that, and his own feelings having been alluded to, he had little dignity left. He had nothing else to lose, not with just the two of them already knowing so much. “If anything were to progress further, it would only be natural. I suppose I wouldn’t stop it.”


End file.
